The Future of Smart

In the final episode of Season 2, we are joined by Dr. Temple Lovelace, executive director of Assessment for Good, and Dr. Susan Lyons, co-founder and executive director of Women in Measurement. They are colleagues and leaders in the field of educational measurement, challenging fundamental assumptions that underpin how our dominant education system values, designs and uses assessments. Join us for a conversation in which we explore why thinking differently about what and how we measure is critical to building human-centered systems of learning and education. If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended MindsE.3 - A Return Journey to WisdomE.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor

In this episode of the Future of Smart podcast, host Ulcca Joshi Hansen speaks with Jamie Allison, executive director of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, which collaborates with partners whose work provides access and opportunity, building a more equitable community in the Bay Area. Their conversation explores the ideological shifts that have led the fund to engage in interest-based partnerships with the organizations they fund, and what this has meant for everyone engaged in the work, including the fund's board and staff, as well as their nonprofit partners. If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended MindsE.3 - A Return Journey to WisdomE.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor

In this week's episode, Ulcca speaks with Mia Howard, managing partner and leader of Innovative Schools at NewSchools Venture Fund. Mia and Ulcca explore the work being done by a new generation of school leaders who are dedicated to building more human-centered programs that embrace expanded definitions of success, equity and innovation. Learn about the ways in which Mia and her team are learning about what it means to codesign with communities and deconstruct assumptions about what matters most about how we educate young people. If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended MindsE.3 - A Return Journey to WisdomE.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor

Ulcca and Jenny Curtin, Director of Education at the Barr Foundation, explore the innovative approaches and human-centered design principles that are transforming education. Gain insights into how these efforts are ensuring that every student not only completes their high school journey successfully but also becomes an active and engaged member of their community.The Barr Foundation envisions high-quality schools where every child is known, challenged, and supported. Their commitment is to create environments where every student is not only prepared for college and career but is also equipped to navigate the opportunities and challenges beyond graduation.The high school years are crucial in shaping the future of young people. Unfortunately, many New England students face challenges, with some leaving high school early or graduating unprepared for the road ahead. In this episode, discover how the Barr Foundation is actively supporting a diverse range of public schools across New England. These include traditional district schools, charter schools, pilot schools, and innovation schools.Don't miss this insightful conversation on January 25, 2024, where education meets innovation on "The Future of Smart." Presented by Grantmakers for Education, this episode promises to inspire and inform as we discuss the vital role of education in shaping the future. If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended MindsE.3 - A Return Journey to WisdomE.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor

In this episode, Ulcca Joshi Hansen interviews Laurie Gagnon, Program Director for CompetencyWorks at the Aurora Institute. They discuss competency-based approaches to education that organize learning around demonstrated skills and knowledge rather than lockstep grade-level standards. Gagnon explains how competency models better account for individual development and allow more flexibility in how and when learning happens. Ulcca and Laurie talk about how competency systems open the door for broader educational ecosystems involving families, out-of-school providers, and community organizations. They also discuss how competency models value the knowledge and skills students already have through their family, cultural roots, languages spoken, and passions. The episode explores how competency-based systems support more personalized, equitable learning for all students. If you are new to this podcast, we suggest listening to episodes 2-4 to build a foundation for the concepts and principles we'll keep returning to on the Future of Smart.E.2 - From Brain Bound to Our Extended MindsE.3 - A Return Journey to WisdomE.4 - Using Science to Imagine a New Purpose and Design for Education with Dr. Pamela Cantor

This week's guest is world-renowned animal rights advocate and autism spokesperson, Dr. Temple Grandin. Having spent her career exercising her skills in service of humane animal treatment in the livestock industry, Dr. Grandin is becoming increasingly engaged in educating communities about the need to recognize and support diverse kinds of minds within our education system. Join us for a conversation in which we explore the differences between how verbal and visual thinkers see the world, her concerns about how our education system fails to nurture the potential of learners with different kinds of minds and why that matters; as well as her suggestions for change. 

Join us for a special conversation between civil rights icon Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr., and LaShawn Routé Chatmon, executive director of the National Equity Project. In this intimate chat held prior to their 2023 EdFunders conference plenary session, they explore lessons from America's civil rights movement and their relevance at a moment when many of the hard-won rights of that era feel under siege.

In this episode of the Future of Smart podcast, host Ulcca Joshi Hansen speaks with Christina Engel and Tiffany Johnson of Magic Cabinet, a philanthropic organization that seeks to shift power dynamics in philanthropy by championing community-driven grantmaking.Engel and Johnson explain how Magic Cabinet centers community voice, builds trust, and creates the conditions for nonprofits to define success for themselves. They share stories of the relationships they foster and the lessons they've learned over five years of this community-driven approach.Looking ahead, they envision Magic Cabinet modeling more equitable practices and advocating for systemic change in philanthropy, with the goal of decentralizing power and shifting decision-making authority to communities. The episode explores how funders might adopt more holistic, indigenous values and grantmaking strategies.

In this thought-provoking episode of the Future of Smart podcast, guest Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder of Generation Hope, shares her personal journey from being a pregnant teenager to a college graduate and a change-maker. She discusses the societal biases and stereotypes that often limit the potential of teen and student parents, particularly within communities of color. Highlighting her organization's work, Lewis talks about the FamilyU program, which collaborates with colleges and universities to create inclusive campuses for student parents. She emphasizes the need for systemic change in the educational sector and the importance of involving student parents in solution-building. Lewis also underscores the inherent value of a college education beyond earning credentials - as a platform for individuals to discover their identity, explore their passions, and decide how they want to contribute to society. The episode concludes with a discussion on the unique skills and experiences that parenting students bring to classrooms and workplaces, challenging the narrative around under-resourced students. Tune in to hear a powerful conversation about changing narratives and creating more inclusive educational spaces.

In this episode of the Future of Smart podcast, host Ulcca Joshi Hansen interviews Alexandra Bernadotte, founder of Beyond 12, a tech-enabled nonprofit that supports students in navigating the complex higher education ecosystem. Bernadotte shares her own experiences as a first-generation college student and discusses how Beyond 12 leverages technology to enable a human-centered approach to mentoring and advising to help students succeed in higher education. The episode also explores the growing trend of EdTech and its impact on education funding. Tune in to hear how Alexandra and Beyond 12 are working towards transforming the college experience for historically underserved populations.

We launch Season 2 in conversation with Bill Milliken, founder of Communities in Schools, and author of “The Last Dropout: A Model for Creating Educational Equity.” Public schools failed to meet Bill's needs as a young person and a learner, instilling in him a sense of worthlessness. An adult volunteer who wouldn't give up on him enabled him to believe in himself and in the power of his belief that every young person could succeed if bolstered with strong relationships inside of strong communities. Bill channeled his personal experiences into building Communities in School, a model that has proven over the last 50 years that every student - regardless of race, zip code or socio-economic background - can succeed when they are surrounded by an integrated system of supports including caring relationships. This is knowledge that many indigenous and neo-indigenous cultures understand and live into (check out Season 1, episode 2 to learn more). It is an idea that is re-emerging as a central response to the challenges confronting our education system and society more broadly.

This conversation between Nicole Rodriguez Leach and podcast host Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, chief program officer, explores the personal and career paths that led Nicole to her new position, her insights into education philanthropy, what to look forward to at the conference, and more.Learn More about Grantmakers for Education: Click here

We don't often equate “leadership” with the words: rest, reflect, heal, and dream. Dr. Gislaine Ngounou does. Join us for a conversation that covers the gamut from how her personal identity informs her commitment and approach to educational transformation; generational perspectives on social change; the limits of philanthropy; and – perhaps most importantly – reflections on what kind of an ancestor she hopes to be.Relevant LinksGenerational Differences in Racial Equity Work

“Look for the helpers” - this reminder is one of the many gifts offered to us by the children's television personality Mister Rogers. Fred Rogers believed that a vision of peace is not just the absence of war or conflict; it requires building new ways of being grounded in love and compassion. He invited children and their adults to consider that they were part of building this kinder, more compassionate world. And he used his neighborhood - the onset version as well as his hometown of Pittsburgh - to illustrate what it meant to make these ideas real. Join us for a conversation with Gregg Behr, Executive Director of the Grable Foundation in his hometown of Pittsburg, PA. Gregg is also co-author of the wonderful book “When you Wonder, You're Learning: Mr. Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids.” The book explores how the principles that informed Rogers' TV show can be extended to create contexts in which young people and families can experience their communities as learning ecosystems. Relevant LinksRemake Learning Playbook:  http://playbook.remakelearning.org/ When You Wonder You're Learning: http://whenyouwonder.org/index.html The Good Neighbor:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/fred-rogers-understated-champion-of-radical-kindness/2018/11/02/97e784c4-cb27-11e8-920f-dd52e1ae4570_story.html

Our guest today is Kenji Treanor, Vice President of Strategy, Partnerships at the Stuart Foundation and a leader deeply deeply committed to building contexts in which young people can thrive. Kenji shares with us his personal journey into philanthropy, his thoughts on human flourishing, the role of philanthropy as an enabler rather than a driver of new educational policies and approaches, and how we invite people into conversations about what we might build together in service of young people. Relevant LinksStuart FoundationKaren Pittman on the Future of Smart

Recorded during this year's Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference, Elizabeth (Liz) Thompson of The CAFE Group and The 1954 Project moderates a panel of Black leaders, Jamyle Cannon, Sharif El-Mekki and Saamra Mekuria-Grillo, who share the dreams they hold for the future and the essential role philanthropy must play in making their vision a reality.Relevant Linkshttps://www.edfunders.org/events/the-future-of-education-rehumanizing-the-teaching-profession/https://kappanonline.org/possible-futures-power-of-teaching-ball/

A plenary discussion moderated by Ulcca Joshi Hansen during the Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference with Pamela Cantor of Turnaround for Children, Bob Hughes of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and James Shelton, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, will draw on their vast experience in educational equity to share their visions for an education system that can truly serve tomorrow's learners.Dr. Pamela CantorFounder and Senior Science AdvisorTurnaround for ChildrenPamela Cantor, M.D. is a physician, author, and thought leader on human potential, the science of learning and development, and educational equity. Dr. Cantor practiced child and adolescent psychiatry for nearly two decades, specializing in trauma. James "Jim" SheltonChief Investment and Impact OfficerBlue Meridian PartnersJim leads Blue Meridian's efforts to continuously increase the impact, reach, and influence of our investees and investments to produce the strongest possible outcomes for children and families and achieve community-wide impact. Prior to that, he served as Senior Advisor for Education at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Jim also served as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education under President Barack Obama. Bob HughesDirector, K-12 EducationBill & Melinda Gates FoundationBob Hughes, director of K-12 Education in the United States Program, oversees the work to ensure that we prepare all students for success in college and career. Before joining the foundation, Bob was president of New Visions for Public Schools, a New York City school network of 70 district schools serving approximately 45,000 students. 

How colleges and universities evaluate applicants and how they structure the post-secondary learning experience tethers K-12 to many practices that work against the shift to more human-centered approaches. In this episode we're going to learn about how one post-secondary program is working to revolutionize the idea of the "honors college.” The Honors Living and Learning Community at Rutgers Newark is interrogating the structures and systems in K-12 and higher education that fail to recognize the brilliance and talent of so many students who are the promise of tomorrow. What lessons does their approach offer us as we work to broaden our conception of human potential and success?Relevant LinksDefining the Skills Citizens Will Need in the FutureThe Future of Jobs

In setting up schools as the heart of our education system we privileged a specific kind of learning - academic learning. We also privileged formal learning over the kinds of informal learning that most of us engage in every day. Human development is sparked by experiences and relationships that can and should exist an all parts of our communities and lives. Join us for a conversation about how centering health human development rather than learning could help us transform education.In order to become healthy adults, young people need access to a wide range of contexts and experiences in which they can have all kinds of learning experiences. that enable them to build the wide range of competencies they need to thrive in life. Relevant LinksEcosystem for Youth Belonging, Opportunity, and Success (4 Quadrants)From School Systems to Learning EcosystemsBronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems TheorySoLD Alliance Research Papers

Adolescence is a historically misunderstood and maligned period of human development. Dr. Mary Helen Immodino-Yang shares findings from her research of adolescents that demonstrate the enormous opportunity we have during this stage of life to change the trajectory of young people's lives. Not only can the right sets of experiences mitigate the impact of any earlier trauma or deprivation, the openness and plasticity of the adolescent brain offers an extended period during which we can set young people up for success in early adulthood and beyond.Relevant LinksBuilding Meaning Builds Teen's BrainsThe Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

What can we learn about design principles from schools and districts that pivoted more successfully during the COVID pandemic? In what ways do these design principles help us better respond to the holistic needs of young people, educators and communities? Hear insights Andy Calkins and Nicole Allard from the "What Made Them So Prepared Project," a collaborative project among 9 organizations leading in the education transformation space. Stewart Hudson from the Leon Lownstein Foundation will join us to discuss the unique funding approach taken to support the work and the grantmaking insights that emerged. Relevant LinksWhat Made Them So Prepared? - Research Project Bravely network and our announcement of it and Transformation Design, the research base driving its designNext Generation Learning website where listeners can find everything that we've produced5 Lessons Learned from NGLC's on-going efforts to become an anti-racist organization, helping to make next gen learning a social justice seeking movement

Ulcca is joined by Google's former Chief Education Evangelist, Jaime Casap. Jaime discusses his vision for how technology will continue to impact education and how funders can help students prepare for their future working alongside technology.

In today's episode, Ulcca speaks with Deanna James, president of the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, about the foundation's approach to transforming local ecosystems through radical partnership and grantmaking on the island of St. Croix.Relevant LinksPhilanthropy and Race in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Deanna James, 2020Cracking the Code: Making the Case for a Comprehensive Policy Analysis of the Virgin Islands Public Education System to Achieve Whole-System Reform, St. Croix Foundation, 2017 Collective Work and Impact: the article below is a wonderful review of the research on how system change occurs; and the Nonprofit Consortium 5-Year Retrospective demonstrates our working model of system building via collective impact that is rooted in relationships!The Relational Work of Systems Change, Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2022Nonprofit Consortium 5-Year Retrospective, St. Croix Foundation, 2021

EdFunder's Chief Program Officer Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen speaks with Dr. Michelle Fine, CUNY graduate professor. They explore the topic of democratizing data and evidence. What does it look like when we step outside our typical worldview to design and engage in the process of research differently?Relevant Links:The Public Science Project at the Graduate CenterThe Essentials of Critical Participatory Action Research. Michelle Fine & María Elena Torré (2021) Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association Publishers.From Evidence to Policy: Longitudinal statistical analysis of college access, equity and performance assessmentsFrom Evidence to Policy and Organizing: Participatory study by/for educators and students in alternative/transfer schools in NYC at risk of school closingFrom Evidence to policy: Changing Minds: The impact of college in prison: a participatory study of college in prison - impact on the women in prison, their children, the prison environment, recidivism and public safety (a policy report published by seven women in prison and four CUNY faculty/students)

EdFunders' Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen will speak with Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder and senior science advisor for Turnaround for Children, about new research into youth and adolescent development and what that means for creating learning contexts that truly support and nurture the whole child. Funders have a critical role in supporting educators to develop the skills to create such contexts and development of curricular, assessment and accountability systems that align with the long term outcomes we want for young people.Relevant Links:Science of Learning and Development Trilogy: These are three papers prepared for the inauguration of the Science of Learning and Development Alliance in 2016. These papers are a synthesis of many sciences that converge on a set of core scientific principles that should drive the design of 21st century learning. The first two papers were followed by a third, which synthesizes the implications of the science for educational practice. Pam was the lead author on the first paper. David Osher was the lead author on the second paper, and Pam was a co-author. Linda Darling-Hammond was the lead author on the third paper.Key Findings and Implications of the Science of Learning and Development: For readers who are short on time, this is a five-page document that summarizes the science findings and their implications.Turnaround for Children's tools and resources: Turnaround for Children, the organization Pam founded in 2002, provides tools, resources, and services that help educators operationalize whole-child design, especially in school settings. Turnaround's tools, resources, and services are grounded in the science of learning and development and aligned to the Design Principles.Turnaround for Children's Whole-Child BlueprintTurnaround for Children's ToolboxTurnaround's Well-Being IndexWhole-Child Design Inventory

Today's episode is an invitation to consider how mainstream western definitions of learning and education are really just relics. When we use these terms, and when we design – or redesign - schools and curricula, we're often using templates that were invented back in the 1500s in Europe. Before this period most societies viewed the world as a living system; humans thought of themselves as part of that whole–immersed in it, subject to it, and in awe of it. This is the basis of what we can call a holistic-indigenous worldview. The Future of Smart podcast promotes an approach to education that is grounded in holistic-indigenous views of what it means to be a person, what it means to exist in community, what counts as knowledge, what it means to learn and succeed. Today's guests are working to further such approaches in American education today and we'll hear from them about the joys and challenges of bringing it alive in our dominant culture.ResourcesNote to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in ConcreteJeffrey Duncan-AndradeCultivating Sacred Spaces: A racial affinity group approach to support critical educators of colorFarima Pour-Khorshid

Today's episode invites us to explore the conceptions of our brains that dominate so much of our thinking about learning and education. In her research, Annie has found that western culture is extremely brain bound, which means that we overvalue the role of thinking in our own experience. We think of the brain as a computer, a tool. As we'll learn in later episodes of this podcast, this bias has deep historical roots in western culture. It helps explain how we ended up with our current ideas about what school is, what learning is, and what it means to be smart. But to understand all this, we first need to know how our brains work in the world, which is where Annie comes in.RELEVANT LINKSThere's not one single way of being smart - Annie Murphy Paul's notes from "The Extended Mind"Annie's BookRSA Animate: The Divided Brain - Explore more of Iain McGilchrist's work on our brain hemispheres and how they attend to the world.

Disruption is difficult, but it is also an opportunity to move forward in new ways. The Future of Smart podcast is an opportunity for us to think in new ways about the challenges that we've been attempting to address in education. To go forward, we need to start by going back. Our education system is the way it is as the result of specific historical conditions that harnessed certain tendencies in our brains. Together these created a worldview that's very hard to see outside of. And we've never really stepped back to ask whether organizing schools according to this worldview serves us well today. Join Richard Tagle and host Ulcca Joshi Hansen for an opening episode that explores why this is the moment for funders and others to focus on transformative systems change in education.Relevant LinksThe Future of Smart Worldview Framework - Slides from Ulcca's presentation on the worldview framework.RSA Animate: The Divided Brain - Explore more of Iain McGilchrist's work on our brain hemispheres and how they attend to the world.Preview our next week episode with Annie Murphy Paul - There's not a single way of being smart. Notes from The Extended Mind.

Ulcca Joshi Hansen hosts The Future of Smart, a project of Grantmakers for Education, that explores ideas at the intersection of education, equity, and philanthropy that point us towards a radical re-envisioning of our education system. We'll hear from those working at the edge of what's possible and explore what it means to support transformative change for young people and their communities.